Method for producing a colour laser image that can be observed in three dimensions and document on which a colour laser image that can be observed in three dimensions is produced

Abstract

Disclosed are examples of methods and documents of a color laser image observable in three dimensions, which comprises a laserable protective sheet, an array of lenses, colored sub-pixels in column form, wherein a laser beam causes the grey levels to appear in two color laser images observable in three dimensions via stereoscopic effect, and a substrate. The whole, in various implementations, may be laminated. The axes of the columns of sub-pixels and of the lenses may be perpendicular. The laser beam may scan the sub-pixels along the axis of the lenses, in various embodiments.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method comprising:
 forming two different colour laser images from an assembly comprising:
 a substrate, 
 a laserable protective sheet, 
 an array of cylindrical optical lenses, and 
 pixels formed by RGB sub-pixels printed in primary colours in the form of parallel columns, 
 
 wherein the forming comprises causing grey levels of the two different colour laser images to appear by providing a laser beam through the array of cylindrical optical lenses, the laser beam carbonizing the laserable protective sheet opposite each of the RGB sub-pixels; and 
 wherein the two different colour laser images, via reverse reflection of ambient light through the array of cylindrical optical lenses, appear to an observer of the assembly to be a three-dimensional colour laser image. 
 
     
     
       2. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 an axis of the parallel columns forming the RGB sub-pixels is perpendicular to an axis of the array of cylindrical optical lenses, and 
 the array partially or fully covers the RGB sub-pixels. 
 
     
     
       3. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the forming by providing the laser beam comprises:
 forming the grey levels of a first colour laser image taken from a first angle of a subject by scanning the parallel columns along an axis at a first angle of incidence relative to a plane of the array of lenses; and 
 forming the grey levels of a second colour laser image taken from a second angle of the subject by scanning the parallel columns along the axis at a second angle of incidence relative to the plane of the array of cylindrical optical lenses. 
 
     
     
       4. A document comprising two colour laser images produced by implementing the method according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the laserable protective sheet on which the array of cylindrical optical lenses has been hot printed, the laserable protective sheet is at least partially carbonized by the laser beam; and 
 the pixels are printed between the array of cylindrical optical lenses and the substrate; 
 the pixels cover a same surface as the array of cylindrical optical lenses; and 
 the pixels comprise the RGB sub-pixels organised in the form of the parallel columns; and 
 the laserable protective sheet, the parallel columns of RGB sub-pixels and the document substrate are laminated together. 
 
     
     
       5. The document according to  claim 4 , wherein:
 an axis of the parallel columns of the RGB sub-pixels is perpendicular to an axis of the array of cylindrical optical lenses; and 
 the array of cylindrical optical lenses partially or fully covers the RGB sub-pixels. 
 
     
     
       6. The document according to  claim 4 , wherein the laserable protective sheet includes the two different colour laser images that, via reverse reflection of the ambient light through the array of cylindrical optical lenses, comprise the three-dimensional colour laser image.